National CALL-TO-ACTION: Home stretch for Highway Bill
July 1, 2005

They did it again. Lawmakers on the Highway Bill conference committee were not able to find common ground and they had to extend the 1998 bill again (this is the eighth time). However, this will be the LAST extension.

The highway bill WILL be finalized by July 19, 2005.

The fuel surcharge legislation has drawn massive opposition from the big trucking corporations, shippers and brokers. Those folks created a coalition and formed a sizeable army of lobbyists to bombard Capitol Hill. They are also spending mounds of money to get the fuel surcharge legislation out of the Highway Bill.

This is the greatest opportunity that small-business truckers and professional drivers have had in many years to put their foot in the door of American politics and say, "Hell no, we ain't leaving!"

As an ATA lobbyist put it, "It's going to be a real fight." They and their friends are pulling out all stops to put the real truckers of this world "in their place."

ATA and their coalition partners (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Wal-Mart, Yellow, etc.) are telling representatives and senators on the Highway Bill conference committee that compensation schemes in the trucking industry are just fine. The big businesses and their associations say that small-business truckers are getting good rates in addition to adequate surcharges and that professional drivers are doing well too.

Section 4139 of the House's version of the Highway Bill says that all motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders running truckload freight MUST implement fuel surcharges and they MUST pass 100 percent of those surcharges through to the person who actually pays for the fuel.

Please write, fax and call your lawmakers to urge them to do whatever they can to make sure the fuel surcharge legislation is in that final version of the Highway Bill. Also follow up your call or fax with more calls and faxes to ensure they understand the importance of this legislation.

This is also an excellent time to talk directly with your elected officials in their district offices and at Independence Day events such as fairs, parades, charity auctions, etc.

If you are not sure who your lawmakers are, phone the OOIDA Membership Department and they'll look up the information for you. The toll-free number is 1-800-444-5791. If you know who they are but don't have contact information, you can visit www.congress.org, www.house.gov or www.senate.gov. Or you can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

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SAMPLE PHONE MESSAGE:

I am from (insert your hometown, state) and I am a trucker. I'm counting on Senator ________ to fight to include the truckload fuel surcharge legislation in section 4139 of HR3 in the final version of the Highway Bill. Small-business truckers deserve to have a level playing field with the big trucking corporations."

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If you do not have the time or resources to WRITE a detailed letter, PLEASE HANDWRITE a SHORT note stating why the fuel surcharge legislation is IMPORTANT TO YOU.

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SAMPLE LETTER:

July 1, 2005

Senator ______________
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator _________,

I ask that you do whatever you can to have the truckload fuel surcharge legislation in section 4139 of HR3 included in the final version of the highway bill. Until this legislation becomes law, the livelihoods of many hardworking people from across the country will continue to fall victim to erratic and rising fuel prices. Please help those people by supporting this legislation.

As a small-business trucker, I do not have the ability to raise my rates or establish a fuel surcharge when the price of diesel jumps. Fuel surcharges are used by all of the big trucking companies to pass along higher fuel costs. Small business truckers do not have access to fuel surcharges like those big companies. Without that access, tens of thousands of small business truckers like myself have gone out of business over the last few years.

The big companies that oppose the fuel surcharge legislation know that the cost of fuel makes up about 30 percent to 40 percent of small business truckers' operating expenses. Those big companies know that keeping small-business truckers like myself from accessing fuel surcharges will keep us at a competitive disadvantage. Those big companies are making record profits while small business truckers are struggling to survive.

The fuel surcharge legislation will help to maintain a reliable, competitive, and safe trucking industry without any cost to the federal government. It will give all truckers the ability to collect a fuel surcharge when fuel costs jump. I'm counting on you to fight to include the truckload fuel surcharge legislation in the highway bill.

Thank you,

(Sign and provide your address)

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To view the list of committee conferees, click here.

The following documents are available in Adobe PDF format:

If you have questions, do not hesitate to call the Association at 1-800-444-5791.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE CAPITOL HILL TAKE NOTICE.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR TRUCKERS THROUGHOUT AMERICA